


3 Rings And An Answering Machine

by heyitsmeg15



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-04-02
Packaged: 2018-09-18 08:26:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9376700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyitsmeg15/pseuds/heyitsmeg15
Summary: Somewhat based off of Blake Shelton's song, "Austin".When Ashlyn gets a call from an unknown number, her life is going to change a lot more than she expected it to.





	1. It Was Almost a Year

"Hey John, I'll take another please" the blonde said to the guy behind the bar. 

"You got it Ash" he said as he turned to get a glass. 

"Actually make it two and put it on my tab" a voice from behind her said. 

Ashlyn turned to see a beautiful redhead smiling at her. The old Ash would've been excited to have a woman come up to her, but ever since Ali left almost a year ago, she hasn't exactly been on her A game. Fortunately enough for the blonde, her looks made it easy enough to get women if she wanted. Her strong stature, tattoos and great taste in clothing was almost like a magnet. 

The redhead sat down next to the blonde at the bar a little sloppily and stuck out her hand. 

"Hey, I'm Ashley," the girl said as Ashlyn shook her hand. 

"Ashlyn. It's nice to meet you Ashley," Ashlyn replied with a smile. Ashlyn noted that the woman was certainly her type; long, wavy hair with sun kissed skin and a gorgeous smile. 

The bartender brought over their drinks and set the on the bar. She redhead eyed them and smirked. "Ah a johnny walked girl huh? Sounds like somebody I like," she laughed. 

"Yeah definitely a favorite of mine. So, are you from around here? I don't think I've seen you around," Ash asks as she takes a swig from her glass. 

"I grew up a couple towns over. My friend is getting married and this is the beginning of her bachelorette party before we head more towards the city. That's them over there!" She points over to a group of girls giggling and wavingback. 

Ashlyn smiles back and both women turn back around in their seats. 

"Listen Ashlyn, I'll just be blunt about this. I think you're hot and was wondering if maybe after the bachelorette party you wanted to meet up at your place?" She continued. 

Ashlyn's breath caught a little. "Ashley I'm not exactly available," she hesitantly replied. "I'm sorry I guess I should have made that clear."

"Oh no problem. I just figured since you were here alone that I would give it a whirl. Have a good night Ashlyn," the rehead replied as she got back up and began walking to her table. 

Once the redhead was gone, Ashlyn asked John to close out her tab and grabbed her keys. Thankfully, she hadn't had too much to drink tonight. She headed outside to her rental car and drove back to Chris's place. Once she put the car in park she decided to walk down to the beach. Nothing cleared her mind quite like listening to the waves. 

Once she reached the sand, she kicked off her shoes and picked them up. She walked a ways and finally sat down in the sand, just listening to the waves crash against the shore in the dark. Times like tonight made her miss Ali. She missed doing exactly this. Sitting on the beach holding her while they listening to the waves. Leaving the way Ali did crushed Ashlyn in a way that nothing besides her family had done before. 

She took a deep breath of the ocean air and relaxed. After a few minutes, she pulled out her phone remembering she hadn't had it out all night. She turned the screen on to a notification of a missed call from a number she had never seen. They didn't leave a voicemail so it couldn't be too important. She slipped her phone back into her shorts pocket and headed back to Chris's to get some sleep.


	2. She Left Without Even a Number

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 2! Let me know what you think and what'd you like to see from here on out! I appreciate it! I'm writing on my phone at work so I'm sorry they've been short. Hopefully they'll become longer soon. Also follow my Tumblr! @megb30

"Kyle, I don't think I can do it. What if she hangs up on me? She will. I know it. I hurt her too much." 

Kyle sighed. "Al you can do this. You never know what will happen or how she feels and if she does hang up on you, at least you tried." 

Ali reached up and wiped her tears as she looked at her brother on her computer from across the world. 

"You know how you feel and you need to try. You made a mistake in the past it's ok. The Ashlyn you and I know is of full of forgiveness. I'm going to let you go do you can call her while it's still somewhat early over there. You can do this. I love you so much and please text me or call me when you get off the phone ok?" Kyle said with a smile. 

Ali looked up to the computer in defeat. "Ok I will. I hope her number is the same. I love you too I'll talk to you soon."

She ended the Skype call and closed her computer. She grabbed her phone and took a deep breath. She unlocked and scrolled through her contacts. Her breath caught as her thumb ghosted over her name. 

What Kyle said replayed in her mind and a surge of confidence rushed through her. She pressed the contact and put the phone up to her ear. 

Ring...

The confidence she once had was long gone and now she was extremely nervous. 

Ring...

Ali stood up and began pacing her room. 

Ring...

And then Ali heard her voice. 

"Hey you've reached Ashlyn. I'm not available right now. If you're calling about the car I sold it. If it's Tuesday night I'm bowling. And if you have something to sell, you're wasting your time. I'm not buying. If it's any body else, wait for the tone you know what to do."

Ali sighed. At least she knew Ashlyn had the same number. And then she heard it..

"And PS. If this is Germany, I still love you."

Ali quickly hung up the phone and it fell to the floor. Germany? Wait. That's her. Ali is Germany. She heard it, but she couldn't believe it. What kind of person would hang on that long? What kind of love that must be. 

Tears started falling instantly. How could this be possible? She picked up her phone and called Kyle. 

"Kyle, you aren't going to believe what just happened..."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long! I went back to school and have been super busy. I had this chapter halfway written and it all got deleted, but here it is...rewritten!

Ali paced. She paced enough that she was surprised she didn't practically burn a hole through her floor. 

Ashlyn still loves her. Ali had to say it out loud to finally get the point across. She couldn't believe it, especially after what she did to the blonde in the past. She never though Ashlyn would forgive her..

____________flashback____________

Ashlyn pulled into the driveway and hopped out. She shut the door behind her and shivered. It was definitely colder in Virginia than it was in Florida mid-January. It didn't help that Ashlyn was still sweaty from her workout with Ali's trainer, Chris. It felt good to finally be back with somebody who knew her and understood what she needed to work on to gain a more permanent spot on the national team roster.

It did feel good to be in Virginia though. As soon as she had gotten word that Ali had in fact torn her ACL, she got on the first flight north. When Ashlyn had arrived at Ken's house and went into Ali's room, the defender had broken down in her arms, letting out all the tears she had kept in infront of her teammates. Ashlyn knew she had made the right decision of flying there. 

She walked up to the door and unlocked it with the key Ken had given her. The blonde stepped inside and kicked off her sneakers. She threw her keys on the counter and grabbed a Gatorade from the fridge. 

"Ali! I'm home! Do you still want to go out for dinner tonight?" She yelled across the house. 

When no answer came, she capped her drink and set it on the counter. 

"Babe? Are you home?" She said again. 

Again, no answer. She walked across the house and peaked in all the rooms until she got to Ali's childhood room they were sharing. She opened the door and her stomach sank. The room was bare except for furniture and Ashlyn's things. 

Maybe Ali got an apartment and wanted to surprise Ashlyn. That must be it. She headed back out to the kitchen and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She quickly dialed Ali's number and waited for the ring. 

But it didn't ring. It went straight to voicemail. Ashlyn heard the familiar voice that would usually calm her. 

"Hey this is Ali! Leave me a message and I'll get back to you!"

Except this time, it didn't calm her. She ended the call and started to worry. Ali wasn't at the house, she hadn't started recovery training yet and her phone was off. Something wasn't right. She couldn't call Ken. He was at a soccer tournament all weekend and had a game. 

Ashlyn walked back into the bedroom and that's when she saw it. A small note sat on Ali's bed. She walked over and picked it up. Slowly unfolding it, her breath hitched. Tears immediately started falling. 

'Ash--

I'm so sorry to do this. Please know this isn't your fault. I need to leave for myself. Please don't look for me. Never forget that I love you. 

-Ali'

Ashlyn felt a feeling she had never felt before, not even when her brother left. Her chest tightened and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She dropped the note to the bed and ran to the front door. She slipped her shoes on and grabbed her keys, not even caring about a jacket. 

Ali was going back to Germany and Ashlyn was going to stop her. She raced to the airport and parked in the front. She didn't care about a ticket at this point. She just needed to stop Ali from leaving her. 

She ran inside looking for the screen displaying flights. She looked at the boarding flights. None of them were for Germany. Her stomach dropped and she felt sick. Ali was either already in the air or not going to Germany. 

Ashlyn walked over to the line and waited. Every second ticking by was another second she didn't have to stop Ali. When she finally got to the front of the line, she stepped forward quickly. 

"Hi, I need to know if a flight for Germany has left recently." 

The woman smiled back and replied, "Yes, a flight left about an hour ago. Can I get you a ticket for the next flight in 45 minutes?"

Ashlyn took a breath to reply and what Ali left in the note replayed in her head..

'Please don't look for me...'

 

Tears began threatening to spill over. She took a deep breath to calm herself and replied. 

"No, thank you. I'm all set."

"Okay, have a good day ma'am," the woman replied. 

Ashlyn turned to leave. Walking out of the airport, barely looking up. Finally reaching her car, she got in and began driving back to the house, tears unknowingly poorinng down her face. Her mind began racing. Why would Ali leave her? What did she do wrong? She didn't even leave a number. 

______end of flashback_________

It had been a year since Ali had left that day for Germany. She had kept up with what Ash was doing through social media. She knew the blonde had gone to the Western New York Flash and was doing great game wise. 

She missed the keeper and still loved her no doubt. Now she just needed to call her number again and hope she answers.


	4. She Waited 3 Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One month later...Here's chapter 4! Leave me a comment to let me know if I should keep going or what you would like to see! Follow my tumblr and send me some messages to suggest things for the story over there! @megb30

Ali waited 3 days. 

It had been a miserable 3 days. Kyle was no doubt beginning to get sick of his sister rambling on about the call. Ali had forgotten about time differences and called him in the middle of the night to talk about Ashlyn. 

Ali was anxious and nervous to say the least. She had done a lot of cleaning around her apartment when she wasn't at training. She felt like she couldn't hold still and cleaning was the only outlet she had at this point. 

Finally, after Kyle pestering her for 3 days and telling her to "suck it up and call her, Ali!" She finally decided to try again. 

After training that night, Ali took a shower and threw on some athletic shorts and a nittany lions t-shirt. She threw her wet hair up into a bun and walked out into her living room. She settled down on her couch and pulled out her phone.

The brunette took a deep breath and scrolled over the name she had been thinking about for 3 days straight. 

"Okay Ali. 20 seconds of confidence let's go" she spoke out loud to herself and quickly pressed the blondes contact name. 

Ring....

Again, Ali was pacing like the first call. She didn't know what she would say if the blonde answered. 

Ring...

"Ugh! Come on!" She huffed. 

Ring...

Then there was the voice she had longed to hear again. 

"Hey you've reach Ashlyn's phone. If it's Friday night, I'm at the ball game. And first thing Saturday if it doesn't ring, I'm headed out to the lake and I'll be gone all weekend long. But I'll call you back when I get home on Sunday afternoon! 

And PS. If this is Germany, I still love you."

 

Ali's heart raced. Ashlyn had said it again! 

Beep......

"Oh shit. Uh..546-387-9634" is all Ali could get out. She hung up immediately. 

The defender tossed her phone on the couch and jumped up and down smiling. 

She had left her number and hopefully Ash would call her back Sunday. She grabbed her phone again and pulled up FaceTime. 

Kyle answered with a smile. 

"I take it you called her by the huge smile on your face? OMG did she answer?!" 

Ali shook her head. "No, but I left my number. It wasn't my smoothest voicemail, but I still left it! Kyle I'm so excited and nervous. Now I just have to wait until Sunday!"

"I'm so proud of you bb! Did she leave you a message in her voicemail again?" Kyle asks. 

"Yes! The same as before. I hope she really means it Kyle."

"Girl trust me, if she didn't mean it, it wouldn't be there." 

"I hope you're right! Oh! Are you at work? I can totally let you go!" The brunette says in surprise.

"Yeah but I'm on lunch. No clients for 10 minutes. Plus, you're way more important than any client babe" Kyle says with a laugh. 

Ali smiles. "I miss you so much Ky. I can't wait to see you."

"Me too! The time will go quick though! Oh, my client just walked in early, I should go. Sorry girl."

"It's totally fine! I'll talk to you soon? I love you!" 

"Love you too Ali. Keep me update okay? Goodnight!" Kyle smiles and the call ends. 

Ali sighs and sinks into her couch. She can't wipe the smile off her face. This is going to be a long 2 days.


	5. On Sunday Evening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapters in 1 day?! I guess I'm making up for being gone for a month. Again, shoot me a message over on my tumblr @megb30 to let me know where I should go and if you like this! Enjoy!

Sunday evening slowly rolled around. Ali had been here, there and everywhere trying to keep herself busy until Sunday. No matter where she was, her mind was always on the call she was waiting for. 

On Saturday, the brunette had grabbed coffee with some teammates who she hadn't seen very much due to her rehab and then hit the training center for her knee. She struggled to sleep, texting Kyle sporadically throughout the night about how nervous she was. 

At around 5:30 am, she gave up. She had only gotten a few hours of sleep and she was too anxious to lay in bed any more. 

The defender hopped out of bed and put on some athletic leggings and a national team long sleeve. She put her hair up in a pony tail and grabbed her house key on the way out. 

After a 3 mile run, she came back and showered. When she was dressed, she made some coffee and tried to catch up on the news in Germany and back home, but to no avail. 

Ali's mind was running like crazy and it was only 10 am. Meaning it was only 4 am on the East coast of the states. 

She groaned and decided to go out again. Grocery shopping this time. 

Ali continued this pattern all day of getting up and leaving to try and find something to do. Around 8 pm, while she was vacuuming her living room (for the 5th time in 3 days), she heard her ringtone go off on her kitchen counter. 

Her stomach dropped as she clicked the vacuum off and walked/jogged over to the kitchen. This was it. This could be Ashlyn. 

She flipped the phone over and saw a picture of Kyle with his face smooshed against the glass. She sighed and answered the phone. 

"Kyle! I thought you were Ashlyn calling!" 

"Oh well excuseeee me. I was just calling to check in on my baby sister. So she hasn't called back yet huh?" the older sibling asked. 

"No not yet. I mean I hope she does. It's almost 3 pm back home right?"

"Yeah almost. Well I just wanted to check in. But I'll let you get back to cleaning cause we both know that's what you were doing honey" Kyle said as he laughed. 

"Ha ha very funny. My apartment has never looked so good you jerk!" Ali replied as she laughed. 

"Okay text me or call me if she calls you back! I love youuuu!"

"I will Ky. I love you too! Bye!" she replied as she hit the end button on her phone. 

So close. 'Why can't Ashlyn just call?' she thought. 

Ali set the phone down and walked back over to the vacuum, but as soon as she went to press the start button again, her phone went off again. She walked over to the kitchen. 

"I swear to god if this is Kyle again I'm going to kick his..." Ali stopped. 

Ashlyn's number flashed across her IPhone screen. Her stomach twisted and she froze. 

She took a few deep breaths and slid the phone open to answer. 

"Hello?" 

"Uh hey. This number was left on my voicemail a few days ago? I'm just calling back."

There it was. The voice she had longed to hear. It was so calming, but also made her so nervous at the same time. Ali stood shell shocked. 

"Uh..oh yeah." Is all the defender could get out. 

"Oh well, who is this?" Ashlyn asked. 

Suddenly, all of Ali's courage came back to her. Ashlyn loved her. She had said it herself and she will get her back. 

"If you're calling about my heart it's still yours. I should've listened to it a little more. Then it wouldn't have taken me so long to know where I belong. And by the way girl, this is no machine you're talking to. 

Can't you tell? This is Germany. 

And I still love you."


	6. Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's been a while. I went to Bahamas for spring break where the wifi was shady and classes have been crazy! Here's another one for ya!

All Ali heard was silence. Deafening silence. 

Had she done something wrong? Should she say something else?

"Ashlyn..are you there?" Ali hesitantly said. 

Nothing. 

"Uh ok just call me back if you want. You have my number. Whenever you're ready."

"Wait wait wait!" Ashlyn just about yelled back through the phone. "Ali is it really you?"

"Yes and I'm so sorry it took me so long and how awful I was and I should've called much sooner and I never should have left and I regret it so much and I..." 

"Ali you're rambling..and I'm sure you're pacing. Take a breath" the blonde replied. 

Ali stopped and realized she had paced around her entire apartment. She stopped and took a seat on her couch. 

"What are you doing calling me Al?" Ashlyn said.

 

"I just wanted to talk to you and apologize for what happened, but I mostly want to explain."

A sigh was heard from Ashlyn's end. Ali's nervousness was certainly back. She began picking at her nail polish was she pressed the phone between her ear and shoulder. 

"I don't think that's necessarily a phone conversation, especially with someone who is across the globe," Ashlyn replied. 

"No no you're completely right. Maybe we should video chat or something. Maybe tomorrow or the next day? I mean, if you want. I want to make this better."

"I know you do Ali, but I need some time to process this ok? I'll let you know when I'm ready."

"Oh..yeah of course. I understand. Take your time.." the brunette said, not hiding the disappointment in her voice. 

"Thank you. Have a good night Al."

And then the call was done. 120 seconds and it was over. Ali pulled the phone back and put in on her lap, tears flowing over and dripping on the screen.

Why was she crying? Why did she feel so bad? It's not like Ashlyn denied her. She said she would call Ali back, but a small part of her had hoped the blonde would just take her back and tell her she loved her. Who knows how long Ashlyn would take to call back. 

Ali decided to just go straight to bed that night. Kyle could wait until the morning and quite honestly, she didn't want to talk about it any longer. 

She fell asleep that night with tear stained cheeks clutching on to an old UNC soccer shirt.

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic. Please give me some feedback whether you like it or not, I appreciate it so much! Let me know if you want it to continue! Obviously it'll be a little different than the song, but I'm hoping it is alright! ☺


End file.
